Tuscarora committee awards Veterans Pier bid

Wednesday

Jun 4, 2014 at 12:01 AM

Kortny Hahn

The Tuscarora Township Veterans Pier Committee recently awarded the low bid for its pier project to Team Elmer’s Construction of Traverse City at $510,357.90.Dennis Burwell, Veterans Pier Committee chairman, said four qualifying bid proposals were received.“We are all amped up from hearing the numbers,” said Burwell. “It was an exciting day.”Grace Construction, of Midland, was the second lowest bidder at $512,595. White Lake Construction, of Montague, bid $639,952.50 for the project and Durocher Marine, of Cheboygan, had the high bid of $732,761.Renowned as a great fishing spot with beautiful sunsets, Veterans Pier will be at DeVoe Beach at the mouth of the Indian River, running parallel to the existing jetty. The barrier-free design will give users universal access to the pier and to handicapped-accessible restrooms on the public beach. The ramp leading to the pier will make it easy for elderly, disabled and families with children in strollers. And, those in wheelchairs will be able to fish from the pier safely. There will be low-voltage lighting at foot level. Burwell said the committee was happy with the numbers, which came in on the low side of what was expected. Brian Boals of Gourdie-Fraser, Inc., of Traverse City, the project's engineering firm, reviewed all of the bids to make sure the information was complete. “The low bids were slightly below the estimates we were basing them upon,” said Burwell. “We were concerned because of the changes we had made to the original plans.”However, due to the outpouring of support for the project from the community and donors, the project was redesigned into a larger project than was first proposed, which is why the committee members thought the bids would be higher.“We thought it would be more, but we are surprised that it was not,” said Burwell. “Our focus has been getting the quality of the pier and the boardwalk built we are hoping for.”An area of concerns is the price for the railings to be placed on the pier. Burwell said that, according to the specifications in place, if the water along the edge of the pier is three feet deep or lower, railings are not required.“Along the river, a lot of that qualifies,” said Burwell.The railing for the pier is going to be around 24 inches high, off the side of the pier. It will go out to the end of the pier and wrap around, where the water is deeper than three feet. If the project doesn’t need as much railing as first anticipated, some money could be saved and used toward the enhancements, which will be added when the pier is completed.“We are pretty comfortable,” said Burwell. “The bids allowed for more railing than we needed.”One enhancement would be additional lighting on the pier. Burwell said he will get the costs for adding the lighting. He asked committee members to take the plans for the project and make note of any changes they would like to see changed or added.The committee will discuss any modifications or enhancements at its next scheduled meeting, June 19 at noon.According to Burwell, the goal of committee is to make the pier as accessible, functional and attractive as possible. The signage and memorial plaques, which are part of the design, are already being manufactured and should be ready by the time construction starts. The park and pier are to honor all of the veterans, past, present and future.“This is a tribute, it’s not a memorial park,” said Burwell.The committee will be working with the construction company to keep the beach as open and accessible as possible for everyone during the construction process.